Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore
Music
By Nathan Nedorostek and Anthony Pappalardo

Hardcore music emerged just after the first wave of punk rock in the
late 1970s. American punk kids who loved the speed and attitude of punk
took hold of its spirit, got rid of the “live fast, die young”
mind-set and made a brilliant revision: hardcore. The dividing line
between punk and hardcore music was in the delivery: less pretense,
less melody, and more aggression. This urgency seeped its way from the
music into the look of hardcore. There wasn’t time to mold your
liberty spikes or shine your Docs, it was jeans and T-shirts, Chuck
Taylors and Vans. The skull and safety-pin punk costume was replaced
by hi-tops and hooded sweatshirts. Jamie Reid’s ransom note record
cover aesthetic gave way to black-and-white photographs of packed shows
accompanied by bold and simple typography declaring things like: The
Kids Will Have Their Say, and You’re Only Young Once.

Radio Silence documents the ignored space between the Ramones and Nirvana
through the words and images of the pre-Internet era where this community
built on do-it-yourself ethics thrived. Authors Nathan Nedorostek and
Anthony Pappalardo have cataloged private collections of unseen images,
personal letters, original artwork, and various ephemera from the hardcore
scene circa 1978-1993. Unseen photos lay next to hand-made t-shirts
and original artwork brought to life by the words of their creators
and fans. Radio Silence includes over 500 images of unseen photographs,
illustrations, rare records, t-shirts, and fanzines presented in a manner
that abandons the aesthetic clichés normally employed to depict
the genre and lets the subject matter speak for itself. Contributions
by Jeff Nelson, Dave Smalley, Walter Schreifels, Cynthia Connolly, Pat
Dubar, Gus Peña, Rusty Moore, and Gavin Ogelsby with an essay
by Mark Owens.

About the Authors
Nathan Nedorostek is an art director living in Brooklyn, New York. Having
previously worked for a number of large design studios, Nathan is most
comfortable straddling the line between art and commerce. Nathan’s
previous books include: All I Can Give You Is Everything, and Eulogy
for Marissa Cooper.

Anthony Pappalardo wrote for Slap magazine from 1997 to 2002. He has
been published in Alternative Press, Mass Appeal and Magnet since then.
Anthony’s previous music projects include Ten Yard Fight, In My
Eyes and Get Down. He currently records as the Italian Horn.